That could be the pitiful lament we hear from negligent U.S. officials if Al Qaeda pulls off an attack on the United States using weapons of mass destruction smuggled across our southern frontier.

Were that horrendous event to happen, leaders in the administration and Congress would be justly hit with the same question that was perhaps unjustly cast at them and their predecessors after the unprecedented Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks: Why didn't they connect the dots?

This time, they will have no good answer. We have seen warning signs: Al Qaeda wants to hit the United States with weapons of mass destruction, and it sees the Mexican border as a weak flank in U.S. defenses against such an attack.

Time magazine reported this week that an Egyptian named Sharif al-Masri was captured in August in Pakistan. According to Time, al-Masri told interrogators that Al Qaeda has considered plans to "smuggle nuclear materials to Mexico, then operatives would carry material into the U.S."

Answering my inquiries about Time's report, a U.S. government official who described al-Masri as "a middle man" said the Egyptian's conversations with Al Qaeda operatives took place well before his August arrest, perhaps as long as a year or more ago. It was not clear, the official said, that the Al Qaeda operatives who spoke with al-Masri actually had any weapons of mass destruction, or even that they were talking in particular about nuclear material, as opposed to chemical or biological weapons.

The official said there was no evidence that Al Qaeda tried to carry out a plan such as al-Masri described, or even that Al Qaeda had the ability to try to carry it out.

But the official also said, "This is not the only body of intelligence that has been to this effect."

"We have seen reports," he said, "that indicated, like this, Al Qaeda's desire to potentially use Mexico. However, we do not have any evidence to suggest that they have or are carrying out this kind of plot to use Mexico."

A CIA spokesperson declined to comment about al-Masri.

In August, the State Department issued an alert in Mexico that suspected Al Qaeda operative Adnan el-Shukrijumah might be trying to sneak into the United States from that country. Time reported then that "FBI agents call el-Shukrijumah the next Atta -- after Mohamed Atta, the Egyptian ringleader of the 9-11 attacks." State is offering $5 million for information leading to Shukrijumah's capture. But today, our government has no idea where he is.

"The running joke," the U.S. official said, "is, 'Where in the world is Shukrijumah?'"

On CBS's "60 Minutes" last Sunday, former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer, who once headed the agency's special unit tracking Osama bin Laden, was asked if he believed Al Qaeda was going to try to detonate a nuclear device in the United States. "A nuclear weapon of some dimension, whether it's actually a nuclear weapon, or a dirty bomb, or some kind of radiological device," said Scheuer. "Yes, I think it's probably a near thing."

Scheuer said that in May 2003 bin Laden had "secured from a Saudi sheik named Hamid bin Fahd a rather long treatise on the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the Americans."

I asked the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which monitors and translates Arabic publications, if it had seen anything resembling the treatise Scheuer cited. MEMRI sent me a report it published Nov. 11 that included excerpts from Sheikh Hamed Al Fahd's websites. One was from a tract titled, "Ruling Regarding the Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction."

"If a bomb was dropped on them (i.e., the Americans) that would annihilate 10 million and burn their lands to the same extent that they burned the Muslim lands -- this is permissible, with no need to mention any further proof," said the treatise (parenthesis included in MEMRI's translation).

The Department of Homeland Security has drive-through radiation detectors at commercial truck ports of entry. Border Patrolmen now carry pager-sized radiation meters. But it will not be so easy to remotely detect an Al Qaeda footman carrying a backpack full of bio-weapons across the desert.

House Republicans have included significant immigration-enforcement measures in the House version of the intelligence bill responding to the report of the 9-11 Commission. These include doubling the Border Patrol from 10,000 to 20,000 agents, and tripling from 2,000 to 6,000 the number of investigations officers who enforce immigration laws in the interior. House and Senate conferees are now negotiating the final language of this bill. Liberals would like to strip the immigration provisions from it.

President Bush should insist the provisions stay and demand the bill on his desk as fast as you can say, "Bin Laden."

"House Republicans have included significant immigration-enforcement measures in the House version of the intelligence bill responding to the report of the 9-11 Commission. These include doubling the Border Patrol from 10,000 to 20,000 agents, and tripling from 2,000 to 6,000 the number of investigations officers who enforce immigration laws in the interior."

Does anyone have more info on the current status of this item and its progress in the joint committee? Why is this getting ignored, with all the people here who scream about illegal immigration?!?!

I heard a few weeks ago that the language in the bill that has to do with immigration and border control, is THE sticking point between the Senate and House version. I have been praying that the version with strict border and immigration controls, is the one to get sent to Bushs desk.

However, since then Powell has gone to Mexico and practically sounded like he was going to put out the welcome mat, so I don't know where it stands.

Do you think that if we FReepers deluged the senators, congressmen, and Homeland Securtiy and White HOuse with calls and e-mails like we did vis-a-vis Sen.Specter, it would do any good? It didn't with Specter.

2
posted on 11/18/2004 6:41:15 PM PST
by Txsleuth
(Proud to be a Texan)

If we did, it would do some good, even if it didn't result in the exact funding we want.

I doubt we can get the same crowd that is so eager to raise hell about Specter out to raise hell about something almost as important but less immediate in impact. But I'll be contacting my Senator, Mel Martinez, and my worthless jackass, Bill Nelson, about it.

3
posted on 11/18/2004 6:52:33 PM PST
by LibertarianInExile
(NO BLOOD FOR CHOCOLATE! Get the UN-ignoring, unilateralist Frogs out of Ivory Coast!)

I will contact mine, but I have e-mailed John Cornyn about this a couple of times and unfortunately, like Bush, he is in love with this "worker program".

I truly want the Mexican border shut for more than terrorist reasons. I am tired of paying for medical care, schooling, housing, etc., for illegal immigrants. The terrorist problem is just a cherry on the sundae.

But, if I am not mistaken, the one terrorist WE KNOW WAS PLANNING SOMETHING, THAT WE CAUGHT, was coming across the border in Washington State. So, we could be looking around the wrong door while the boogeyman sneaks up on us from behind.

4
posted on 11/18/2004 7:00:03 PM PST
by Txsleuth
(Proud to be a Texan)

Hey, I'd love the border shut for multiple reasons too, but I think that any additional funding for border control and intra-U.S. immigration control is a good idea. And I am willing to take the worker program if it comes with extensive additional internal controls and border patrol funding--but only given that funding, and only if the female guest workers agree that their children are not American citizens if born in the U.S.

5
posted on 11/18/2004 7:11:21 PM PST
by LibertarianInExile
(NO BLOOD FOR CHOCOLATE! Get the UN-ignoring, unilateralist Frogs out of Ivory Coast!)

And I am willing to take the worker program if it comes with extensive additional internal controls and border patrol funding--but only given that funding, and only if the female guest workers agree that their children are not American citizens if born in the U.S.

With the way things are looking, El Presidente Jorge Arbusto is pressured by the open border/globalist elites (i.e., Council for Foreign Relations, Bilderberg Group) to follow through with the amnesty plan as part of the effort to put into motion an Americas' version of the European Union, open borders, common currency. See:

...but only given that funding, and only if the female guest workers agree that their children are not American citizens if born in the U.S.

Critical point - THEY don't have any "right" to agree to any such thing. WE need to push for the 14th Amendment being amended stating that no one born here without One U.S citizen parent is not an automatic citizen. We should push for this yesterday. Call, write, email, use NumbersUSA...just do it and stand up for our country's preservation against the corrupt interests that are taking us down to third-world status.

15
posted on 11/19/2004 4:58:12 AM PST
by NewRomeTacitus
(Be Legal or Be Gone! I'm looking for a batch of compasses that point South for handing out.)

DOBBS: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is warning of the threat of terrorists entering this country through the same routes as those used by illegal aliens. Secretary Rumsfeld, traveling in South America, warned that enemies look for weaknesses and take advantage of them.

DONALD RUMSFELD: The risk is that some of these human-smuggling routes into our country from this hemisphere could be used just as easily for terrorists. ~snip~

REP. JOHN HOSTETTLER (R-IN), CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY: : Well, the House will not be taking up in a positive sense guest worker legislation. We know that this is a priority for some in Washington. It is not a priority for the House of Representatives. In fact, those of us in the House that deal closely with the immigration issue believe that we need to go the other way. And that is look at the issue of enforcement and strong enforcement of our immigration laws in order to keep not only more millions of illegal aliens out, but to do something about the 10 plus million that are here now.

HOSTETTLER: Oh, well, this is something that we have been concerned about for years. It is an issue that, as we look at the number of individuals crossing the southern border, referred to as OTMs, or other than Mexicans, that number is rising drastically, because others in the world realize that our southern border is porous. Our men and women in uniform and the Border Patrol are doing everything they can and then some to enforce and strengthen the border. There are just not enough of them. And this is something that there may be some disconnect within the administration..~snip~

16
posted on 11/19/2004 3:44:52 PM PST
by AuntB
(Most provisional ballots are from voters not eligible to vote!!! Ask a poll worker!)

"Do you think that if we FReepers deluged the senators, congressmen, and Homeland Securtiy and White HOuse with calls and e-mails it would do any good?"

Can't hurt. Here's an interesting website. I heard this man on radio last night. www.frostywooldridge.com. He has some interesting data on all the disease that is carried across the border and a LONG list of organizations who are fighting amnesty, etc. There are a lot more organized groups than I realized. This is a partial list.

Immigration reform national organizations and information

Secured Borders U.S.A - visit this site to sign and notorize their petition that will be delivered to Congress.

NumbersUSA.com - fax Congress for free on U.S. population/immigration issues!

Police Officers for Immigration Reform

Population Environment Balance

Predatory Aliens

Pro-English

ProjectUSA

Rescue American Jobs

Coalition for a Secure Drivers License

Secured Borders U.S.A - please visit this site to sign and notorize their petition that will be delivered to Congress. This is a powerful site that is taking strong action for Western States and all states.

SprawlCity - shows the surprising relationship between population growth and sprawl.

StopAmnesty.US

Stop Immigration Now

Stop the FTAA - the Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement incorporates an open borders agenda

StopTheInvasion.com - activist website.

SUSPS - known within the Sierra Club as Sierrans for U.S. Population Stabilization.

THE AMERICAN RESISTANCE

The Environmental Movement's Retreat from Advocating U.S. Population Stabilization (article)

The Social Contract - books, journal, and publications.

Listen to The Terry Anderson Show - Every Sunday, 8pm Pacific Time on the internet. "If you ain't mad, you ain't payin' attention!"

Team America - a Political Action Committee to elect those who support defending America's borders.

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